Embrace the Change! Or else...

I think we can agree that users across all platforms (bloggers, podcasters, twitterers...) have officially raised the bar for advertisers, businesses and brands. Social media expert Clay Shirkey also considers this increase in power of both individuals and groups and its impact on companies in delivering constant satisfaction to their customers. "Many institutions we rely on today will not survive this change without significant alteration," he says, "and the more an institution or industry relies on information as its core product, the greater and more complete the change will be." What companies rely most on dispersing information to survive as a business? To name a few, The L.A. Times, New York Magazine, and Cable T.V. Now more than ever, companies across all industries are affected by this social media revolution. Some words of wisdom: you have to embrace the change and go with it, or else you become roadkill.

How has social media already affected companies? Take the recent Prius recall and Toyota's handling of the situation. Unexpectedly, Toyota did a poor job at utilizing major social networks such as Twitter and Facebook to communicate with their Prius customers about their faulty floormats and accelerator pads. But how can an international company like Toyota that has to work with different cultures and languages in dispersing information implement a successful communication management plan?

Though Toyota may be the exception, here's the lesson: If companies are going to engage with social media, they need to have a crisis management plan. They need to prepare for negative online chatter and execute a plan for when it happens.